George Catlin
George Catlin was an American portrait artist and author who lived from 1796 to 1872. He is best known for his portrait work documenting the indigenous Americans of the Old American West.
Catlin was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. From his very early childhood on, Catlin was deeply interested in indigenous Americans. His mother was abducted by members of the Iroquois when she was seven. Though she was soon released unharmed, she would often tell her son about her experience and the people she met. As a youth, Catlin would search for and collect their artifacts. Witnessing the treatment of the tribes by the US Government, Catlin was prompted to quit his career as a lawyer. He decided instead to document all that he could of the customs and dress of the native peoples in fear that their cultures would soon vanish.
Catlin began his career in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, working as a lawyer. He practiced law for two years before quitting in 1823 to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. Catlin stayed in Philadelphia, teaching himself art and getting work as a commissioned portrait artist. In Philadelphia, he met a wide range of individuals, from politicians to trappers and traders, to indigenous American delegates. In 1826, he became a member of the prestigious National Academy of Design. In 1828, he married Clara Bartlett Gregory, whom he met in Albany, New York, while in town to paint Governor DeWitt Clinton.
Between 1832 and 1836, Catlin went on 5 expeditions into the Great Plains region, collecting indigenous artifacts and creating his paintings. He covered a wide range of subjects. Catlin’s work included scenes of daily life activities, such as hunting, fishing, and village life. He also documented whatever religious ceremonies he was allowed to witness. Many of his landscapes were from a bird’s eye view. These paintings are some of the earliest depictions of landscape scenes from that specific angle. Catlin’s most famous painting subjects, however, were his individual portraits of the people whom he had met on his travels.
Catlin journeyed throughout the Americas, visiting over fifty tribes. He published a series of books in the 1840s chronicling his adventures. He created two massive series of paintings depicting indigenous Americans, the first in the 1830s and a copy of these in the 1850s. Although there is some controversy related to how accurate his paintings actually are, they played an active role in shaping how the world viewed the indigenous Americans.
In 1839, Catlin moved with his family to London, England to obtain a wider audience for his art. In 1845, he continued touring and exhibiting his work, and arrived with his family in Paris, France. He was gaining such notable patrons as King Louis Philippe of France. In 1845, his wife and youngest son tragically died. Catlin remained in Paris with his three other children until the French Revolution of 1848.
George Catlin died in 1872 at 76 years of age. After his death, his family donated over 500 of his pieces to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. in the United States.
Back to the Artists page.
You can learn about different art movements here.
